ERWIN FONSECA
MAPUSA: Mapusa currently has just one flour and masala mill, run by 75-year-old Ramesh Bicholkar, the fifth-generation owner of the family business. “From what I’ve been told, about 120 years ago—when the Portuguese were still ruling Goa—my ancestors came to Mapusa for the feast of Our Lady of Miracles,” says Ramesh. “They were extremely poor, almost living hand to mouth. They brought with them a few bottles of ‘goli’soda—the kind with the glass ‘ball’ stopper—which was a craze back then. The plan was to sell soda at the feast fair for a few days and return. But that never happened.”
Instead, they found respect, affection, and what Ramesh believes were the blessings of Milagr Saibinn. “That changed everything. They decided to stay and settle in Bardez.”
Though soda was their initial business, the idea for a mill emerged later. “At first, they believed the soda venture would flourish with divine intervention. But they soon realised the town lacked a flour and masala grinding facility. That’s how our mill started, in the old market near Alankar Theatre,” Ramesh recalls.
The Mapusa market we know today was meticulously planned by the Portuguese and inaugurated just before Goa’s liberation in 1960. Before that, the old market—just a stone’s throw from Mapusa Church—was where people gathered. “It worked out well,” says Ramesh. “My ancestors could sell soda and run the mill during the feast. We had many customers—people came to us to grind wheat flour and masala.”
As the new municipal market was established, activity shifted there and the old market lost its crowd. After operating the mill in the old market for nearly a century, the Bicholkars moved it to the present location in the main market. “When the mill started, there was barely any electricity in Goa. It was mechanical and labour-intensive. It became fully electric only in the late 1940s or early 1950s,” says Ramesh.
The current location is about 35 years old, but the business itself has been around for five generations. “The sixth generation will be my son Chinmaya,” he adds. “Except paddy, we grind everything—wheat, chillies, turmeric, coriander… And our loyal customers, especially older people, still believe in grinding their own flour and masala.”
Across Bardez, a few other mills still grind paddy, coconut, and grains, but in Mapusa, the Bicholkar mill has stood the test of time. Ramesh admits the business is increasingly difficult to sustain. “Earlier, labour was cheap and our charges were just a few paisa. Today, a worker expects Rs 800 to 1,000 a day. Our monthly electricity bill is around Rs 50,000. Taxes and tariffs have also gone up. This business is no longer viable,” he says.
Still, the family has survived—and even thrived—thanks to the mill. “Since I was 10, I’ve worked here. With the blessings of Milagr Saibinn and the goodwill of our customers, we charge just Rs 10 per kg for grinding. And we get steady business throughout the year. This mill even funded my holy pilgrimage to Shirdi—40 years in a row,” he says.
Ramesh now lives in Verla Canca but makes it a point to open the mill every morning at 8 am. He employs five workers who keep the mill running.
Yet he is not optimistic about the future. “Technology is advancing. People will start using home-based or portable mills. When that happens, these traditional mills may lose relevance,” he says.
Grateful to both Milagr Saibinn and Lairai Devi, Ramesh believes that divine blessings and community support have helped the Bicholkar family rise and contribute meaningfully to Bardez. Former Mapusa Chairperson Dr Nutan Bicholkar was also part of the extended family. “She tried to improve the market infrastructure many times,” he adds.
To the younger generation considering leaving behind family businesses or moving abroad, Ramesh offers a word of advice: “Think twice. Anyone who works sincerely can earn respect right here in Goa.”
“Our family tradition will be preserved at all costs. We have the blessings of Milagr Saibinn. In spite of adversity, this mill will continue to run and flourish,” Ramesh concludes.
Mapusa will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Miracles—Milagr Saibinn as she’s fondly known—on Monday, May 5. She is among the most revered figures for people across Goa, regardless of caste, creed, or religion. Many attribute their life’s successes to her blessings and return year after year to express gratitude, seek favours, or simply pay homage to the Saibinn who they hold dear. It was in this spirit that the now well-known Bicholkar family, originally from St Cruz, came to Mapusa decades ago. Today, they’ve risen to respectable positions in society—but their journey began, humbly, at the feet of Milagr Saibinn